Monday, July 20, 2009

The big 13!

Sigh. Im not ready to talk about the fact that my little girl has just turned 13.

So lets start with a little peek at the garden. Ill steal S's shoes. He will never know.

These are my zucchini plants. They are huge.

This is me looking up while sitting under my plants. Thats just how huge they are. And you all know that Im really tall.

And look. See how big the leaves are?

Cantaloupe.

Pumpkin.

Watermelon.

Heres my harvest from this afternoon.

Okay. Back into the house. I have dinner to make. K requested sweet corn ravioli for her birthday dinner. And its a darn good thing that I love her as much as I do. This is one meal that takes forever to make. Its quite labor intensive. But, hey. You only turn 13 once.

My veggies are all diced up and ready to go. (red pepper, onion, and corn)

A couple of cheeses.(ricotta and cream cheese)

Fresh basil from the garden.

Now you combine all the veggies(but only half the basil) and saute them in a pan that has been heating up with butter in it.

Next you add some cream(1/4 c) to the pan and let it cook down a bit.

Then you add both of the cheeses and some salt and pepper. Mix till its all incorporated.

Here, you should see me actually filling the ravioli. BUT, well, my pal couldnt make it(damn geography) to help me stuff and seal...so you missed this step in the photo line up. But what you do is take a won ton wrapper, put about 1 1/2 tsp of the filling in the center, rub some beaten egg yolk on the edges of the wrapper, top it with another wrapper, and then use a round cookie cutter to cut it out and help seal the edges.

Then this will be what they look like prior to cooking. I have some flour on the bottom of the pan to keep them from sticking.

Then pop a few of them at a time in a pot of boiling water till they begin to float.(about 2 min or so)

Then they will look like this.

In the meantime you will be melting butter( a few tablespoons) in a pan along with the rest of your basil. Once that browns a little, you will add some cream to the pan(1 1/4c) and a little salt and pepper. This will begin to cook down and thicken as you are boiling the rest of your ravioli.

Get out a dish to place all the ravioli on. I heart sunflowers.

I prefer to do mine in layers so they dont all stick together. So, a little sauce on the bottom then ravioli, then sauce...then ravioli...you get the idea.

Then youre all set to go to the table!

Wait. You cant forget the sweet tea.

After all that good food its present time.

Clearly, shes trying to get us to understand exactly what it is shes talking about.

Lovely note cards.

And a pretty poster. J is very excited.

Peace.

Then we had cake.

And when G was all done with his cake he had just a little spot of hungry left. So, he asked for a green bean.

You are an amazing cook! I love your bowls and your platter. So pretty. 13 really does seem impossible. Will we make it through the teen years??? Love to all of you and a special birthday shout out to K.

What a fun party! And hopefully, if I ever make it out there, you will make me some of that yummy ravioli! (you have a lot of requests for this meal that you SO love to make - lol...but what do you expect, posting pictures of it in all its deliciousness?!)

Sugarcreekstuff: You have berries to keep you busy till you will need that harvest basket.

farm mom: NO,no...thanks for compliment, but I think any inquiries would be in a heap of trouble...this has to be a fluke!

J.J.: We will make it. I think I can, I think I can... I hope you had a wonderful birthday, too!

danni: If you ever make it here I would love to make you ravioli. But you have to seal. I hate that part. And maybe, just maybe, if you plan it right then you can have some cantaloupe, too.

That suntea jar has been making me some yummy tea.

wandering owl: Let me know if you get a chance to make that ravioli. It is very tasty, just a bit time consuming.

HI Farmer Jen: It was a fun evening. The meal was yummy and the cake was a good end to it all. I hadnt made one of those in quite some time either, so it was a nice treat for the kids.

Penny: Thats right. You tell her how much I love her and am devoted to her. That ravioli says it all! :) Thanks for the garden love. I am patiently waiting to cut into one of those little watermelons. I am very excited. And about the green bean...I think he may have been in a sugar stupor and would have done just about whatever I asked of him.....Kidding. That kid has a mind of his own.